Hallucinations
by LeviIsEverything
Summary: Haunted by the image of her father's severed corpse, Akira's mind can no longer differentiate what's real and what's not. Being captured by shinobi of the hidden leaf village Akira is forced to adapt to the ways of Konoha, despite being ostracized due to her father's crimes. Due to all the guilt and stress she feels, Akira's mind completely erases all traces of her past.
1. Chapter 1

"She's been here a week and still can't seem to remember a thing about what happened. The only memories she has left are those regarding her mother, and those themselves are quite unsettling." A large man with golden locks, that flowed to his back, spoke with an unusually calm voice.

"I see. It's best if we surround her with people her own age as it may provide her with some sort of stability. I've already assigned her to a ninja squad, it would be a shame to let her abilities go to waste, thus I've decided this is the path she should take. Thank you for your help, Inoichi-san." The elderly man's voice was shrouded in pity as he thought of what the enigmatic girl had been through.

"Of course Hokage-sama." And with a respectful bow the blonde gentleman had left.

Hiruzen looked over towards the disheveled child and frowned. Even though her memories had been searched thoroughly and her mind had been bombarded with shinobi, to ensure she wasn't a threat, he still couldn't decipher that stoic look that had overtaken her face.

* * *

 _"You wretched brat! If it wasn't for you he would still love me! He would still love me!" Another shard of glass was flung directly towards the frail child harshly. The fragment grazed the child's pale cheek, thus causing a streak of crimson blood to run down her face in an unruly manner._

 _"Mothe-"_

 _"Don't call me that. I'm not your mother! You're just some child that happens to share my blood, other than that you're nothing." The women seemed to go into a state of manic as she tightly gripped locks of her hair and tried to wrench each strand out with an otherworldly amount of force. Her knees buckled underneath her and multiple tears ran down her sunken cheeks._

 _"AAAAHHHH!" It seemed she had gathered up all her energy and released it in the form of a desperate screech. Grief-stricken sobs raked in her chest as she continued to wail helplessly, at the very sight of this the child herself began shedding tears. She never understood why her own mother despised her soo much, however she knew it had something to do with her father. A man she had never met in all her 9 years of living._

* * *

"Akira. It's time to go." Hiruzen gestured towards the solemn child kindly, in an attempt to make her feel comfortable. Akira simply stared directly into his creased eyes, her emotions didn't betray her as she outwardly appeared impassive.

With a slight nod of her head she began trailing behind him as if she was a dog on a leash being coerced by it's master. Akira turned and twisted her head in different directions as she continued to examine her surroundings. She had never seen such a lively place before, she was always surrounded by death and anguish. The entire setting caught her off guard.

After a few minutes of idle chatter the two of them arrived at their desired destination. Hiruzen turned to face Akira with an unsettlingly serious demeanor.

"I've already informed your sensei of your arrival so he should be expecting you. I'll be leaving now, however if you remember anything please contact me as soon as possible. Good luck, Akira." A gentle smile formed on his lips as he spoke to the frail looking child, a complete opposition of his previous attitude.

"Thank you very much." And with that Akira made her way down the wooden hallway and into her classroom.

Hiruzen watched her enter, he couldn't help but pity the child after all the savagery she'd been exposed to. Afterall she reminded him of another child who had no one but themselves left in this cruel world. In a way it made sense that she wasn't able to endure the brutal memories that plagued her mind so the only way out was forgetting everything she had known. Whether it was intentional or not was unclear.

"Good luck." With a final look Hiruzen dismissed his worries and returned back to his office.

* * *

It was nerve wracking to say the least. Akira hadn't known anyone her own age since she'd always been surrounded by adults. It was the fear of the unexpected that really frightened her. But the second she'd walked in it was those oddly familiar eyes that had captured her attention. She stood there stiff in an awkward stance, her blank stare resulted in a lot of students retreating their eyes from her form, this caused the students to assume she wasn't of a high social standing. Her disheveled attire further backed up that theory.

'Why does his eyes feel so...nostalgic?' Despite being the main centre of attention Akira completely disregarded the whispers and curious stares and instead focused on capturing the last few remnants of whatever memories she could gather.

'Do I know him?' It took her a moment before Akira came to the realization that she was stood in front of dozens of students with nothing but an uncoordinated posture to show for her arrival.

Lucky for her she was immediately greeted by an elder gentleman who she presumed was her sensei.

"You must be Akira Sato, it's nice to meet you I'm Iruka-sensei. Why don't you introduce yourself to the rest of the class?" Akira caught the feeling of unease that emitted from the older male, despite his outwardly attitude displayed as kind she couldn't help but sense a much darker feeling from him. Perhaps he feared her like the other civilians she had came across.

With a slight nod of her head Akira dismissed her thoughts and complied to her teacher's wishes. With every step she took she could feel various eyes pierce through her, it felt as though she was back in the interrogation room.

Without further ado Akira let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding and spoke with a bland almost bored tone.

"I'm Akira Sato your new classmate. I hope we can all get along." It was a dull introduction but an introduction nonetheless, but before she realized it numerous questions were being hurled her way.

"Class! Calm down, if you'd like to ask something please raise your hand." Iruka's booming voice snapped the students out of their fervent display of curiosity.

Akira however tuned out the noise and instead searched for a pair of onyx eyes. But once she came across them she went into a state of shock.

It seemed everyone else had picked up on her unusual behaviour as they all, also came to a sudden halt. She could hear muffled screams and distorted words from around her but she paid them no heed.

"Why is she staring at Sasuke-kun?" Came an arrogant screatch.

"Is she okay?" Questioned a timid voice.

"She looks kinda pale." A dull tone observed.

'Why does he look like-'

"It-Itachi." It was that single word that formed a dreadful silence around her, even Iruka appeared bewildered. However it was the boy with the eyes that looked the most unsettled maybe even... murderous.

A streak of crimson liquid ran down her nose and onto her shirt, leaving a trail of red behind it. It wasn't long before Akira's view morphed into an abyss of nothingness.

And everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

_"This world isn't painted as just good or evil, it's a combination of both. However thinking of everyone as the enemy only results in isolation, the more you fear them the more their distrust in you grows. Don't believe everyone wants to hurt you Akira. For there are some people out there who are more than just another page in the bingo book, a missing nin or a lowly thug. Please don't forget that."_

 _"Then what are you if not a traitorous murderer who slaughtered his family in cold blood? Do you even feel guilt for the crimes you've committed? I understand this world and the cruelty of it, but believing a traitor is somehow a valuable piece in this world is merely a false preconception of tattered hopes."_

 _"Then am I simply a murderer to you? I guess you're right in that aspect, I am nothing more than a traitor who tainted his clan in blood and abandoned his village for selfish purposes." Despite his words Akira still couldn't decipher the intent behind them. Why did he seem so solemn when he spoke about his crimes? Did he feel regret or was he just scared of the inevitable punishment that would one day catch up to him?_

 _However Akira's curiosity only seemed to grow when she witnessed a rare but genuine smile form on his mouth. It was a rare sight but she did grow rather accustomed to his odd behaviour considering she had spent 3 months with him and his criminal organization. And as she expected it didn't take long before two slender fingers landed on her forehead mirroring a poke._

 _One might say this was the only time Itachi Uchiha expressed affection towards someone since his departure from Konoha._

* * *

Black. That was the only colour Akira's eyes could identify, everything else simply appeared as distorted images and disfigured objects. A strained gasp escaped from her parched throat followed by a series of unconventional coughs and troubled wheezes. It seemed as though she was choking on air however that wasn't the case, it was more as though she was trying to regain the ability to speak.

"Wh-Where a-am I?" Akira's hand instantly flew to her head at the first notice of an excruciatingly painful headache, she could practically feel her brain cells disintegrate at every throb that pounded in her head.

"Miss Sato I see you're awake. That's good, it's best if you don't overexert yourself so please relax." A kind voice kindly advised from across the room, it appeared to be a nurse.

At the sound of the unfamiliar voice Akira immediately snapped her head in a variety of different directions in hopes of understanding where she was. Though it was quite clearly a hospital room.

"It seemed you passed out, most probably out of exhaustion but you're all fine now, you've been out for around an hour though." The nurse gently made her way towards Akira with an unflinching smile, it almost seemed forced.

"Yeah I remember now." Came Akira's weak response.

 _Knock Knock_

"That must be Hokage-sama. Please come in!" The dainty nurse rushed quickly towards the wooden oak door and bowed in respect to the Hokage whilst allowing him and his acquaintance inside the bland room.

"Thank you very much. If you don't mind I'd like to speak with Akira for a moment." The nurse instantly picked up on the hint and dismissed herself without any further questions.

This time Akira recognized the man who was accompanying the Hokage it was Iruka-sensei, a man she had been introduced to a little over a hour ago.

"I see your first day at the academy didn't go to plan." The Hokage smiled in an almost playful manner however Akira wasn't able to differentiate humour from mockery so she simply ignored the sentiment.

"I didn't expect to pass out like that." Her voice was monotone and void of any emotion.

"No one did. Akira do you remember anything you saw or might of said before you passed out?" Inquired the Hokage with a calm and steady tone.

"...No." A lie.

 _'This world isn't painted as just good or evil.'_ The pounding headache returned the moment those somewhat familiar words echoed in Akira's mind.

"I see. It seemed despite your lack of memory you may of recalled someone during your brief exploration of the academy."

 _'Don't believe everyone wants to hurt you Akira.'_ Her hand collided with her head in a feeble attempt to suppress the pain and unfamiliar memories.

"Yes if I remember correctly you mentioned a name." Iruka chirped into the one sided conversation with his own recollection of events.

 _'I am nothing more than a traitor who tainted his clan in blood and abandoned his village for selfish purposes.'_ The grip on her head slowly escalated to her hair, strands of unkempt locks stood in between the gaps of her fingers, it was almost as if she was trying to pull them out.

"Itachi." The headache eventually subsided but in its place remained a vague image of a man she once knew.

"...I-I don't know who you're talking about." Another lie.

Akira released the hold she had over her hair and reluctantly tilted up her head so she was directly facing the two males. It was obvious they distrusted her answer but they had no room to question it further.

"I see, however due to this ,for lack of better words, incident it would seem the best course of action would be for you to have regular sessions with Inoichi-san, so far we can only assume this happened because you may of recalled something from your past but we can't be certain. This is simply to ensure your memories won't come back unexpectedly and cause you to pass out again."

"I understand." Akira wasn't fully aware of what was being said, her mind was still occupied by other thoughts. The words she had heard still lingered at the back of her head and no matter how hard she tried to recall them it was futile. She once again lost another memory, but perhaps it's better that way.

"Akira as you know you've had a late start to the academy however I've already assigned you to a ninja group which consists of four members including you. You were to meet your new sensei today as well as your squad. It would be best if you freshen up before arriving back to the academy, do you think you're well enough to go?"

"Yes I'm fine."

"That's good, we'll take our leave now and allow you to clean up. And akira make sure to notify me if you remember anything even if it seems insignificant." And with that they both left leaving Akira to wander off into her own destructive thoughts.

* * *

It all started with some light tapping. A consistent noise that echoed throughout the room causing Akira to grow increasingly frustrated. Her irritation intensified as the noise itself heightened, she couldn't pinpoint the exact location it was emitting from but the second she snapped her neck into the direction she presumed the noise originated from, Akira hurled herself backwards out of shock and disgust.

Before her eyes laid a pool of crimson, a thick substance like molasses was leaking from one of the wooden draws, it painted the floor with it's mesmerizing colour however the stench of iron overpowered the room causing Akira to visibly gag. It was quite an unsettling sight to say the least.

She tentatively tread towards the gruesome sight with her hands clenched in fists whilst beads of sweat ran down her porcelain skin. She hesitantly took hold of the wooden handle that was covered with splinters and yanked the draw open without a moment to second guess herself.

The vulgar sight of a mangled corpse stood proudly in front of her as if it was performing an act. It's entire body was littered with dried blood stains and coarse scars that went on for days. His limbs were wrenched in the opposite direction of their original place, his neck was bulging forward whilst his head fell back limped in a disfigured manner. However the vile sight continued on all the way down to his torso where it was severed from the rest of his body. Thick, lengthy piles of flesh spewed from beneath his stomach and were dragged across the floor leaving a trail of scarlet liquid behind them after each movement. His mouth was hung open allowing a visual insight into his corrode, chipped teeth and blistered tongue that dangled unceremoniously from his mouth. His chin was missing and all that remained in its place was tattered pieces of muscle tissue and a large chunk of what Akira assumed was once a jugular.

But the most disturbing part was his face, or rather his lack of one. His eyes and nose were nowhere to be seen, in their place remained a black void. Akira had to refrain from screaming for she didn't want to alert the staff of her deteriorating mental health, since surely this was just some fragment of her twisted imagination. She harshly bit her tongue to suppress the built up urge to call for help and instead closed her eyes in hopes of getting rid of this sickening sight.

"What's wrong with me?"

* * *

"Is this what insanity feels like? Do people who are insane even know they're insane? Perhaps I should notify the Hokage and tell him about what happened. But what if he locks me in some asylum for the mentally ill? No I can't risk it." Akira mumbled to herself in an disorientated manner as she awkwardly stumbled to the rooftop where she sensed a familiar chakra.

It wasn't long before she arrived to the rooftop, her hands shoved in her pockets and her raven locks shading the top half of her face. However she wasn't expecting to be greeted by those eyes again.

"Hey! You're that new girl, right?!" Bellowed an enthusiastic blonde. Akira couldn't help but release a sigh of exhaustion as she witnessed the faces of her teammates. Albeit it wasn't as though she had a choice in the matter.

"Oh shit." And with that Akira made herself known to her estranged teammates whilst simultaneously battling with her inner thoughts.


	3. Chapter 3

_A corpse. A rotting corpse. The rotting corpse of her mother._

 _The body hung tightly in a stiff manner from a tattered rope, the neck was shrouded in the thick braided cord causing it to swell and appear bruised. It had been three days since the women had taken it upon herself to end her life, and in those three days a vile stench of death and alcohol had lathered itself across the cramped room. The women's eyes were bulging out of her sockets to the point where you could see the optic nerve, her shrivelled up lips were pale and blue, strands of saliva coated the inner corners of her mouth. Overall the sight was volatile._

 _However that wasn't the most disturbing part. Below the deteriorating corpse laid a small child, her dainty hands were wrapped tightly around her small frame in hopes of warming up her numb skin. Her eyes pierced the corpse with little to no emotion present in them, it was almost frightening how composed she was._

 _A loud banging noise could be heard from behind the worn out door. Akira presumed it was one of her mother's clients, her mother was notorious for 'befriending' a lot of men._

 _"Open up!" Bellowed the stranger, Akira continued to block out the noise and instead continued to examine her mother._

 _Albeit it wasn't long before the door gave out and was reduced to a pile of shattered wood. Then in came a large figure shrouded in a black cloak. His nose wrinkled in disgust as the pungent odor entered his flared nostrils._

 _"What the fuck." Despite his initial response his face didn't portray any emotion leaving Akira to wonder if he was even surprised. The man stared briefly at Akira before returning his gaze to the corpse._

 _"Tch. I didn't think she'd succumb to this." He roughly kicked a half empty glass bottle of alcohol to the side, he peeled his eyes off of the women and focused on the child._

 _"Oi brat, get up." And so she did. Her frail legs wobbled at the sudden movement but Aira eventually managed to get a steady grip. Her cheeks were severely contoured and sunken, from first glance it was obvious to anyone she was severely malnourished._

 _"Remind me of your name." His gaze was harsh and his tone was even harsher._

 _"A-Akira." She managed to spit out the word without too much trouble._

 _"Tch. From now on you'll live with me, understood?" With a gentle nod Akira made her way closer to the estranged man._

 _"Who are you?" Whether it was out of curiosity or just for the sake of getting rid of the tense silence, Akira didn't know why she felt brave enough to question him so boisterously._

 _The man looked slightly taken back by her sudden question but he managed to brush it off rather quickly._

 _"I'm Genkaku Sato."_

* * *

"You with the brooding face. Introduce yourself." The masked man requested as he pointed directly towards Akira. The rest of her teammates had already introduced themselves albeit Akira didn't pay any attention to them. She was too busy being plagued by unwanted memories and having her back glared at by a certain ravenette.

And so for the second time that day Akira began announcing herself to a pile of strangers.

"My name is Akira Sato. I enjoy reading, I dislike the smell of alcohol as well as many other things. I have no hobbies." It seemed everyone was engaged in her little explanation, more so then the first time.

"Good! The four of you are very distinctive and interesting! We'll have a mission tomorrow." Despite his enthusiastic tone his facial expression screamed boredom, even though 80% of it was covered up.

"Yes sir! What kind of mission?" Beamed the obnoxiously loud blonde who Akira came to know as Naruto.

"It's a task that the four of us will do together." Explained Kakashi.

At the sound of this Naruto's excitement grew even larger, a bright smile shrouded his innocent face , Akira couldn't help but be enlightened by his eagerness.

* * *

After Kakashi sadistically announced there would be a survival training task tomorrow everyone departed ways. Akira was the first to leave she couldn't stand being in the company of soo many people. It was tedious to say the least.

"Oi." Akira came to a sudden halt at the sound of a voice.

It wasn't long before the face of one of her new teammates was stood directly in front of her. It was Sasuke Uchiha.

"Yes?" Akira inquired with slight unease. As she met his onyx eyes she could practically feel his anger radiating of them in huge waves.

"How do you know him?" The way he questioned her was as though she was under investigation for a crime she had no knowledge of.

"I'm not sure what you're on about, so if you'd excu-" She was cut off rather unexpectedly.

"Itachi. How the hell do you know Itachi?" His patience was dwindling whilst his anger continued to intensify.

"I don't know who you're talking about." Was it a lie? She herself couldn't tell.

"You looked straight at me and said his name, you clearly have some connection with him." In a sudden haste Sasuke tightly wrapped his fingers around Akira's slender wrist and gripped it with an otherworldly force.

"...It's true. I probably do have some connection with him, but I myself have no recollection of him. I wish I knew but I-I just do-don't." Akira looked down in a mix of shame and guilt. She never expected to be so useless, she didn't understand the reasoning for Sasuke's curiosity of Itachi, but the way he spoke made it even harder to refuse him.

"What do you mean?" His tone was less harsh but his hand was still latched onto her arm.

"I'm not even sure myself." Akira lifted her head up in a gentle manner and stared directly into Sasuke's onyx orbs, she looked as if she was pleading for answers, just like him.

"Hm. Whatever your link to him is I'll find out." With a final glare the Uchiha left leaving Akira to wander off in her own thoughts.

"Itachi Uchiha. Why do I feel so strongly about you?" She could feel another migraine coming, it seemed every time she was close to remembering something important something else was blocking her way.

In a final attempt to ease the pain in her head Akira closed her eyes rather tightly and forced her mind to collect any information it could gather.

Red. Red eyes. Gentle red eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

_"Hurry up." Came the authoritative voice of her guardian, it had been three weeks since she had came into contact with the man known as Genkaku Sato and in those three weeks he had gifted her with a friend. To be more precise it was a three legged rabbit with the most captivating crimson orbs. Akira remained unaware of his true intentions however the joy the frail creature had contributed to her life was something she was now unable to forget. It brought soo much glee to her miserable life that she went as far as to name it 'Kyūseishu' the Japanese word for 'saviour'. In a way Kyūseishu had saved her from her loneliness and for that Akira remained forever grateful._

 _With her puny little legs Akira ran forward so she wouldn't lose sight of Genkaku, she latched her slender fingers around Kyu with great care and carried out her order._

 _"We're here." Akira was brought to an abrupt halt, she almost crashed into Genkaku's back as he suddenly came to a stop in an area Akira had never been exposed to._

 _It seemed she was in some sought of forest, dead plants latched ravenously on pathways whilst decaying carcasses littered acres of land. It wasn't a pleasant sight by all means yet Akira completely disregarded the vile area as her attention was captured by Kyu. It might not have been a healthy friendship but Akira had never felt at such ease before, therefore she remained oblivious to her surroundings, whether by choice or not who was to say?_

 _"What did you name the little fucker?" Overtime Akira had grown used to Genkaku's vulgar language and brushed it off rather quickly whilst simultaneously composing herself and readying a reply._

 _"Kyūseishu." Her voice had grown stronger over time it no longer wavered which Genkaku was somewhat proud of._

 _"Tch. I expected you'd grow a liking to him but I never expected you to completely devote yourself to him and his needs. It's a little worrying but nevertheless we're here for a reason. Take this." Genkaku shoved a shard of glass into Akira's dainty hand without warning, it was evident by the look on her face she had no idea what he was wanting._

 _"Kill it." Akira's eyes bulged out of her sockets in an exaggerated manner, her lips slightly trembled whilst her hand subconsciously began clutching the weapon with an incredible amount of force._

 _"...Wh-"_

 _"Kill it." He was serious, there was no ounce of pity or shame on his sharp features as he spoke. Thus causing Akira to grow immensely worried._

 _"B-But." Her stutter returned, the strength she had acquired over the weeks had completely diminished. But she knew she was unable to refuse him, she had no choice._

 _"I...don't want to."_

 _A single tear ran down her porcelain cheek until it landed harshly on the pile of weeds that bestrewed the rotting land._

 _"Kill it."_

 _With a single, quick movement the once moving animal was now reduced to a limp carcass. Blood tainted it's white fur, the crimson liquid painted a horrific image, one that Akira wanted to forget._

 _"...Forgive me." It was dead. It couldn't hear her yet she still spoke those cursed words. Why would anyone forgive a murderer?_

 _"It had to be done. In this world we either kill or get killed. It's better to be the villain than to play the part of the hero." Genkaku slowly placed his index finger under the distressed child's chin and tilted it up so he could get a clear view of her._

 _"Wipe your tears child, weak emotions like that will simply get you killed." And with that he began walking forward paying no heed to the anguished sobs of a child who was exposed to far too much cruelty far too young._

 _Step_

 _Step_

 _Step_

 _"Crying won't bring him back. Dry your eyes, let him rest." Such a gentle voice, no one had ever spoke to her in such a kind tone. This wasn't the voice of Genkaku's no his is far too gruff. So whose voice was this?_

 _Out of curiosity Akira averted her gaze from her departed friend and instead focused it onto the newcomer. A man, a man with little to no emotion present on his face. The way he held himself allowed Akira to make the assumption he held no malicious intent, his body language was soft yet it was clear he wasn't letting down his guard._

 _He was shrouded in a dark cloak decorated with crimson clouds, it was such a beautiful pattern. Akira couldn't help but wonder what it represented._

 _"Who are you?" Akira gripped the tainted shard of glass whilst preparing herself for another attack._

 _"I'm Itachi Uchiha. A friend of Genkaku-san." Red. Red eyes. Gentle red eyes. They were eerily similar to Kyu's, perhaps that was the reason Akira allowed herself to trust him._

 _"Give him to me, we'll bury him together." She could see Genkaku in the background conversing with a man dressed in the same attire as Itachi, but she didn't bother questioning it. Instead Akira complied to the request and handed the white furred creature over._

 _"Thank you."_

* * *

Akira strolled leisurely through the busy streets, she didn't bother to gawk at her surroundings instead it was the civilians who were the ones gawking at her. It wasn't pleasant having dozens of strangers examine every move you make but Akira didn't pay attention to the whispers or cruel glares she received. She didn't understand the distaste the people had for her, she didn't directly inflict any pain onto anyone of the hidden leaf, so why did they hate her so much?

Perhaps it had something to do with her past, a past she no longer could recall.

It was still pretty early,5 am, Kakashi had instructed her and her teammates to meet up for the survival task. Akira had considered not even showing up, it's not like she wanted to be a shinobi. It was the Hokage who had suggested she placed her skills in a programme that would enhance them and benefit the village simultaneously.

And who was she to refuse the words of her caretaker?

It wasn't long before she arrived at her desired destination and on doing so she was greeted by three drowsy looking faces. However that was to be expected considering they had to meet up so early and were instructed to not eat anything thus furthering their already exhausted states.

"Hey Akira-chan!" Despite Naruto's weary expression he still managed to muster up enough energy to greet his new teammate which was something Akira was growing used to.

She even heard Sakura mumble a 'hello' under her breath which was suprising since Akira felt as though the kunoichi didn't particularly like her.

Nevertheless ,with the wave of her hand signalling a greeting, Akira took her place beneath a tree where she took it upon herself to rest her eyes. She remembered the hokage telling her once of Kakashi's tendency to run late so she didn't expect him to be any different this time.

She tuned out Naruto's whining and Sakura's yelling and even managed to ignore the glares emitting from the ravenette. All Akira wanted to do now was rest.

* * *

Blood. So much blood. The scarlet liquid painted the cobbled streets like paint, it lathered the entirety of the streets without warning. Such a beautifully gruesome sight and laying on top of it was the vulgar disfigured body of a mangled corpse.

"A-Aki-Akira." Indistinguishable noises emitted from what appeared to be a mouth.

* * *

"(cough) what the- (cough)" Akira snapped her eyes open in disbelief. Was that a dream? Then why did it feel so real? Who was that?

"Is everything alright?" Questioned Sakura with a concerned expression painted onto her face.

"...Yeah." Akira dismissed the worried looks from her teammates and instead tried her best to compose herself.

In a sudden movement Kakashi appeared in a cloud of smoke alerting everyone of his arrival.

"Good morning everyone! Ready for your first day?"


	5. Chapter 5

_"Your mother wasn't a very pleasant woman was she?" Genkaku had never questioned her about that woman since the time she had known him, so it did come as a surprise when he suddenly mentioned her._

 _Akira tentatively shook her head in response. Since her mother's death she tried her best to block out all thoughts regarding her, but of course it was never that simple._

 _"She beat you bloody, I can tell by all those scars she left on your skin. She didn't even have the decency to place them in a less visible area." Akira continued to listen to his criticisms, she had no idea why he was getting so worked up about it, he had no reason to care._

 _"...How do you know her? My mother, I've never seen you visit her before." Akira placed the wooden sticks onto the plate, gooey syrup seeped from the sweet dumplings and stained her fingers unceremoniously. Her voice was timid with hints of resentment dripping from her words, it was evident the events that took place a few days ago still remained fresh in her mind._

 _"It doesn't matter. She's dead now." What a cynical reply, she expected no less from a man of his caliber._

 _"Why did you take her money, it's wrong to steal." He almost appeared offended by Akira's comment._

 _"What good is money to a dead women? We need it more than she does, how do you think you've been able to consume all that trash? If it wasn't for me you'd be rotting with her." With a deep sigh Genkaku practically slurped the dumpling from the stick in a single motion and swallowed them whole._

 _"Were you one of her clients?" Perhaps she asked out of spite, she knew it would annoy him but she didn't really care. Genkaku harshly swallowed the lumps of sugar before wiping his mouth of the sticky substance that coated his lips._

 _"Tch, don't compare me to the filth that litter the streets. I don't need money to buy a woman." He seemed rather adamant about that, almost proud._

 _"Have you ever been in love?" Akira couldn't help but dig further, she wanted to know more about the man who had 'saved' her life._

 _"There's no such thing as love, only lust. Anyone who says otherwise is a cunt who doesn't understand the difference between fucking a woman and making love to one." His anger had slowly turned into a mix of annoyance and frustration._

 _"I don't know what that means." It was hard to remember that she was still just a naive little girl._

 _"Tch. Of course you don't." He shook his head before placing another dumpling into his salivating mouth._

 _It was rare for Genkaku to show any affection but it seemed something had persuaded him into patting the child's head, it was rough and uncoordinated, Akira however grew stiff. It was obvious from her reaction she was greatly uneasy and slightly disgusted by his gesture of good will._

 _"I'm not a nice man myself. I kill, I steal, I cheat and I lie. There's nothing good about me, don't start thinking that I care for you. I would skin you alive for a glass of wine if given the chance. You're simply something to entertain me until death comes and frees me from this shit world." A cruel smirk formed on his thin lips as he spoke in an almost sadistic manner._

 _"I understand." Akira removed her gaze from him and instead opted to stare at the plate of syrup that laid before her. She knew he wasn't a kind man his actions already confirmed that. And each day that passed by her resentment for him grew, perhaps she should be grateful to him for rescuing her but Akira couldn't help but wonder if her life would've been less messy if she remained in that vile room._

 _"Do you enjoy watching me wither in pain, you do right? That's why you made me kill him." It was less of a question and more of a statement, she didn't even know why she bothered to say something so brash out loud._

 _"Pain? You think losing a tattered little beast like that is pain? Trust me that's nothing compared to the real world. People lose their families, their livelihoods, everything they've ever cared for, and you think that's pain? I taught you a lesson one that should never be forgotten. But if you really despise me so much feel free to kill me." What a cocky man._

 _"I'm not physically capable of achieving that. But I guess they do say you should keep your enemies close." Despite her young age she spoke as though she was an old woman._

 _"Which ever cunt said that didn't have many enemies." Came Genkaku's blunt reply._

 _"Perhaps." Gulp. Akira swallowed another dumpling before cleansing her platter with some piping hot green tea._

 _"Nevertheless we don't have time to ponder on such trivial matters. You've grown a liking to that Uchiha kid, I plan on meeting with him and one of his acquaintances today. You'll accompany me."_

* * *

Kakashi explained the rules of the survival task. It was fairly simply. Three bells, four students. It was clear the real objective was for them to all incorporate their own strengths and work as a team, why else would they of been put into squads? Not to mention he purposely brought three bells instead of four which was a clear giveaway that even if one of them would be left empty handed it would have been everyone's efforts that contributed to capturing the bells. However it seemed Akira was the only one to of noticed this, her comrades seemed oblivious to the real goal.

It wasn't long till her and her teammates dispersed into hidden areas, all apart from Naruto. Akira watched the boisterous blonde charge directly at Kakashi without any real strategy, she almost felt bad for him.

'If we all fail so be it. It would be better this way, being a shinobi in a village where you're despised isn't such a desirable goal.' Akira unsympathetically listened to Naruto's futile attempts of retrieving a bell.

As much as she wanted to rest she couldn't allow herself to, even if she didn't want to admit it she was scared of seeing _that_ again. In a way Akira couldn't help but feel as though having her memories suppressed may of been done intentionally in order to protect her, but from what?

She witnessed Sasuke's weak attempt at injuring Kakashi with a shuriken but of course it was in vain. He was a jonin whilst they were fresh meat out of the academy, they lost before they even started.

As Akira began analyzing Sasuke's technique her eyes wandered off to his face and gradually up to his captivating eyes. No matter how many times she stared at them she couldn't pinpoint why she had such an unhealthy obsession with them.

'His eyes, they look so...empty. Its as if he's witnessed the cruelest thing imaginable only worse.'

"Dammit." Akira slapped her hand over her forehead and grabbed a handful of hair strands in her palm, it was back. That painful ache that appeared whenever she connected with something of her past.

 _Red. Black. Red. Black. Two red orbs with a trident like design in the middle of them stared directly at her._

'S-Sharingan?!'


	6. Chapter 6

_"The sharingan is the kekkei genkai of the Uchiha clan that appears selectively among its members. It is regarded as one of the "Three Great Dōjutsu", the others being the Byakugan and the Rinnegan" and that was the only information gifted to Akira from Genkatsu._

 _Itachi Uchiha possessed this rare power as he was one of the last remaining members of the Uchiha clan. It was safe to say that Akira was almost in an infatuated state as she learned about the secrets of the ninja world, it fascinated her greately knowing that such rare powers existed and she had the privilege of bear witnessing something of that caliber in front of her very eyes. She gawked at the slender man in front of her like an excited puppy, her mouth slightly agape whilst her eyes shone with a childish curiousity that only some still possessed._

 _"Your incompetent mother should've trained you better not to stare at someone like a hungry beast, It's considered to be rude." Genkaku spat out the words with his usual grimace accompanying his harsh features. Akira took no notice of his cruel words, in fact she had grown accustomed to his vulgar language almost to the point where she felt some fucked up form of comfort in them. Maybe it was some sort of Stockholm syndrome, nevertheless she didn't ponder on it for too long._

 _"It's only natural for someone who's lived such a sheltered life to be fascinated by something we're customary to." Itachi returned his orbs back to their usual onyx state much to Akira's dismay before gazing at the child, Akira couldn't help but snatch her eyes of his form due to the immense intimidation she felt from him._

 _Well who could fault the child? She was surrounded by_ hardened _criminals notorious for their crimes against the ninja world whilst she was merely a child who'd lived in poverty her whole life alongside her nymphamous mother. She was nothing in comparison to them._

 _Nothing. Her mother had always made sure to remind her of that, so how could she ever forget just how pathetic her existence was when she was constantly told just how little meaning her life held. But Akira wanted to change that or at least prove that women wrong. For now that was the only goal she had, to prove she had worth in this kill or be killed world._

 _"Run along now child, I have some important matters to discuss with my fellow comrades." The wicked grin that had formed on Genkaku's thin lips deterred Akira from making any protest and so she complied._

 _Her bony legs carried her to an unoccupied lake filled with nothing but silence. She had finally found some peace at last._

 _The beauty of the azure water was enhanced by the nature surrounding it, blades of grass stood proud on top of the emerald field, butterflies danced freely to the blissful sound of peace, the blazing bright sun gifted the field with it's luminous presence and otherworldly beauty. Akira stood in a daze as her eyes beheld such a captivating sight, never in her life had she been greeted by such a view._

 _"It's beautiful isn't it." The monotone sound of a familiar voice snapped her out of her trance._

 _"- Oh Itachi. Yeah it is. I can't believe something so pure even exists." Slightly startled Akira regained her composure as she was met by the sight of the notorious Itachi Uchiha._

 _"Is this your first time seeing a lake?" He questioned with seemingly little interest._

 _"Yeah I mean the only sight I ever really saw was the chipped wall in my living room, it was practically my only friend considering how much time I had spent staring at it." Akira sent him a pitiful half smile as she recollected her past memories of what her life had once been like._

 _"So tell me, do you want to go back to that life? Do you want to go back to that living room, back to that wall?" Akira was taken back by his words, she hadn't expected him to be so bold._

 _"...No. After being exposed to the world outside of that wretched place I never want to go back. I want to know more about the world I was hidden from for so long. I want to live Itachi."Akira forced her eyes to meet his in a silent protest to prove that she wasn't as pathetic as she had believed to be her entire life._

 _"You have the determination but what do you want to live for, surely you have a purpose or a goal of some sought?" Another question was hurled towards her._

 _"I-I don't know..." And she had no way of answering it._

 _"Everyone is a slave to something in some form of way. Whether it be money, power, revenge, everyone has something that they desire. Even I am a slave to something, that's why I keep living because I have something to live for." For a second Akira thought this was a ploy, how is it that a mass murderer was here sharing his thoughts with her, it was unexpected to say the least._

 _"And what is it that you live for?" But it seemed this time she was the one hurling the question towards him._

 _"Duty." A simple word yet it triggered something inside of her, it almost made her feel nauseous._

 _"Is that why you slaughtered your entire clan? For duty?" Why was she acting so brash? She had no reason to care for what he had done, he hadn't hurt her so why?_

 _"This world will turn you into another mindless slave just like everyone else so make sure you devote yourself to something worthy." And with that Itachi took his leave, leaving a dazed and confused Akira behind him._

* * *

 _"The sharingan is the kekkei genkai of the Uchiha clan that appears selectively among its members. It is regarded as one of the "Three Great Dōjutsu", the others being the Byakugan and the Rinnegan"_ Familiar words plagued her mind and she had no way to escape them.

"I've gone insane, surely that's the only explanation for this." Akira slouched her back behind a tree before releasing her hold on the hair she had gripped so eagerly, the numbing ache still persisted inside of her head but there was nothing she could do about that.

"Ahahaha I've gone mad. But the fact that I'm acknowledging my insanity surely means I'm not crazy right? I mean I'm still in touch with reality so perhaps I'm only on the verge of insanity, maybe I still have time before I cross that line." Akira once again gripped her tattered hair between her pale fingers and tried to collect her former composure. She allowed a slight grin to encase her lips as she realized how stupid her thoughts were, if she wasn't insane she was surely a paranoid imbecile who overthinks more than necessary.

"Perhaps the Uchiha might be of some use in figuring this out. And by the seems of it he's eager to talk to me too."

* * *

Akira watched with slight amusement as her blonde haired team member struggled whilst being confided by ropes, she sat in front of him with Sasuke and Sakura by each of her side. And in front of them loomed a masked silverette.

"Akira you were fully aware of the intentions behind this test yet you stood idly by and allowed your team mates to attack me knowing full well it was futile."

Akira tuned out the scolding she received for not participating in the test, all she could focus on now was the Uchiha and it didn't go unnoticed either. It was no coincidence that she felt an excruciating headache every time she looked into his eyes, there was something that linked him and her together and she needed to know what.

Kakashi had allowed team 7 the opportunity to redeem themselves after lunch though Naruto was deprived of any food, and once again it was clear what the objective was.

 _'Maybe it would be in my best interest to pass this test, I need to get closer to Sasuke.'_

"Naruto, are you hungry?" Akira suddenly questioned causing looks of bewilderment to follow in suit, she rarely spoke so it was somewhat of a surprise she had instigated a conversation.

"What, no way! I can last for hours like this!" Naruto proclaimed proudly however it was short lived as a monstrous rumble erupted from his stomach answering the question for him. His face was coated in a crimson blush as he squirmed in embarrassment against the tight ropes.

"Here." Akira waved the chopsticks in front of him offering him some rice, however Sakura was quick to point out the consequences that would follow if Kakashi finds out.

"You can't give him any, it's against the rules." Akira dismissed her words however and gave a knowing look towards Sasuke. It seemed as though he had also figured out the true purpose of this. Soon all of team 7 had unknowingly passed the test as they fed the helpless blonde sate his hunger.

And it wasn't long before Kakashi had proclaimed them all members of his team, it was a proud moment to say the least.

* * *

"Sasuke, I need to talk to you." Akira had cornered Sasuke alone on his way home but he was more than aware that he was being followed by her.

"I need to talk to you also."

And so it began.

* * *

 **A/N I just want to apologies for not updating this story in so long, I know this chapter isn't the best so I'm hoping the next chapter will be miles better and a lot longer. Thank you all for reading and I'd appreciate it if you commented :)**


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